A Game
by Valamphias
Summary: Legend tells of an ancient tablet, a tablet that holds the gateway to great power. This power can be won by those who choose to play a cruel and punishing game... a game where one puts his soul on the line. Follow these five, and their progress...
1. Prologue

Prologue

~ An Ancient Legend ~

Hidden in the middle of dying empire and buried in forests at the edge of the mountains lies a group of villages that are largely unknown to the rest of the world. These inhabitants of these villages are largely unaware of the greater happenings in the wider world, and the assassinations of kings, the rise and fall of kingdoms, the achievements of man, and the destruction and rebirth of entire continents are unknown and uncared for. They exist in isolation, dealing with each other as they may, and fighting against the inhabitants of the forest for survival. Their greatest enemies is the tiger, the bear, and the snake. At least, their greatest enemies that reside completely in the physical world.

They have many traditions and many ancient stories, undiluted by the influence of other cultures. It is of one ancient legend that gave birth to the occurrences you are about to read, and how bold youth, unaware of the danger they were about to put themselves in, test the story of an ancient tablet.

The tablet, it is said, holds the key to communicating with a being that could only be considered a god. This god, through the tablet, challenges a group of five to a game. There are nine rounds to this game, and if you are skilled or lucky enough to survive you are given a great and wondrous prize. However, due to the fact that none ever return from wherever the tablet takes you, it has become forbidden to ever accept that challenge, and the tablet itself is said to be hidden deep within an ancient abandoned pyramid.

So five young ones dared to enter this pyramid and claim the tablet for themselves, for any prize that comes from a god must be worth having, no matter the risk...

No matter the risk...


	2. Escaping the Pyramid

**Author's Note: I've had to take a few liberties with the names of a couple of the characters in this story, as I need first and last names for everyone for the 'incantation' that starts the game. I apologize in advance if you don't like the names I ended up creating for those particular characters, but I hope you don't mind too much. They won't appear until the next chapter anyway, and that will probably be the only time. :3**

Escaping the Pyramid

He was lost. There was no doubt about it. They all were. After grabbing that damned tablet, all the hallways in this pyramid changed, reorganizing themselves to keep whoever dared to go so far would never see the light of day again.

"Good thing we brought plenty of food," he mumbled to himself. "L was right: whoever hid this thing was serious." Rounding another corner, he bumped into somebody.

"Watch where you're going, Ichigo." The carrot top looked down, spotting one of the two blonds that were part of their group of five. Even though they really only had four people at the moment, the game's rules required five in order to participate. It seemed kind of dumb to him, but whatever.

"Sorry about that, Naruto," the carrot top replied. "Has anyone found the way out yet?"

"Zelda though she was on to something the last time I saw her."

They each went silent then, both pulling out their little sheets of paper and adding little notes to their maps. It was an idea L came up with, to help keep track of where they've been and how much progress they might have made. The trick was to get to the top, since that was where the entrance was, and over the last couple of days they have made considerable progress.

"It's almost time to meet back up with the group," Ichigo said. Naruto merely nodded in response, following the slightly taller teen back to the newest "meeting room," as it was decided to be once they made it to this floor. "We should be getting close to the top, right? There were only... what, five or six floors, right?"

"Hell if I know," Naruto replied. "Ask L. He always keeps track of that stuff."

Despite having no apparent source of light, the insides of the pyramid weren't pitch black like you'd expect. While it was still dim and a little hard to see, there was enough light to walk around without needing a torch. You just had to be careful where you put your feet. As the two trudged along, they heard the footsteps of the other two members of their party. Turning left, they entered a chamber that had a flight of stairs going down. This was where they had originally come up from below.

Aside from the stairs, this chamber had two entrances, and it was easily decided that they should split up. Naruto and Ichigo went one way, with L and Zelda going the other. That had been about two hours ago. Or, at least, that was how close they could guess the time without having the sun to look at.

Those two groups did, of course, split up after a while, and given the way the hallways doubled back on each other and looped around, Naruto ended up finding Zelda about half an hour ago.

"Alright, let's compare our maps," L said.

"No need," Zelda said. "I found the stairs we need. They lead to the top floor, right?"

"They should," L replied. "We've already come up six, and we only had to go down seven to find this thing." He held up the tablet, which appeared to be little more than a slab of stone with strange writing on it. It did, however, feel different, at times as light as a feather and cold to the touch, at other times feeling quite warm and weighing a ton. It was definitely magical, even if it ended up not being what they were looking for.

"By the way," L continued, "I think I've come up with our fifth man. He's a bit older than us, but I think he'll join us. Or at least keep the secret."

"Who?" Ichigo asked.

"Auron," came the reply.

"That old weirdo? I can't believe he was accepted into the village after just appearing out of nowhere like that."

L shrugged. "I've talked to him a little bit. He was apparently some important person out in the world somewhere. His job was to protect some noble."

Ichigo shook his head, not really caring. "Anyway, can we just go to these stairs? I'm sick of this place. We've been here for days."

L shrugged, and they all proceeded to follow Zelda, who in turn led them to the stairs.

Naruto ran up these stairs, and, as sunshine could be seen at the top, he ran toward the direction of the sunlight and out of the main entrance, excitedly taking in his first breath of fresh air in over four days. "FINALLY!" he shouted.

The other three walked up behind him, and took a moment to look down, savoring the view. Particularly Zelda: she had always loved looking at the trees.

The sun was setting, and they all decided to go ahead and make camp for the night. As the fire was started and rabbits were cooked, they sat around wondering out loud just what kind of game they would have to play. They were all dressed in common wear, if their clothes were beginning to fray around the edges. It was all brown for this group, with Zelda being the only one wearing a skirt. None of them could manage anything fancy, since even in small villages like theirs there was still a hierarchy in society, with some being rich and some being poor. The four around the fire there were poor, though not the absolute worst off. Even then, the worst off still had a roof over his head and food on the table.

Naruto had a few patches in his shirt, and L was missing his left sleeve, but that was the worst of it. Ichigo never cared, though: this was the life he was born into. It was pointless to envy the rich.

As they scattered around getting ready to call it a night, they drew sticks to see who would be first watch. Ichigo drew the short stick, and, mumbling a bit, took his post as the others, tired from their experiences these last few days, unrolled their blankets and one by one drifted off to sleep.

Ichigo spent most of his watch staring at the stars, wondering just what was in store for them. While none of them really had a clue regarding the nature of this game they were about to play with gods, he didn't doubt that it was dangerous. The reward sounded too good to be true, and there was always a price to pay for anything. What would they risk, jumping into a game they knew nothing about?


	3. Opening the Door

Opening the Door

They say that every choice in life could be represented as a door. There are doors that we choose to keep closed for very good reasons, choosing not to venture in and make that choice. There are doors we choose to open for very good reasons, kicking it open and diving into the future behind that door. There are doors we choose to keep closed or open for very poor reasons, too. The reasons themselves don't really matter – it's all about the action of opening the door.

Some doors are minor, having very little impact. Some, however, are pivotal, around which all other doors available to us are determined. These doors could be seen as large doors, crafted in gold and silver and opening up vast chambers beyond, full of their own small, unimportant wooden doors.

Some doors are easier to open than others. Some require effort, while with others we need some sort of skill or knowledge. These are keys, which can open locked doors. Secret doors.

The five that would gather that night had the key to open one such secret door. It is a door, however, that should have ultimately remained closed.

~.~

"The requirements," began L, "for beginning the communication are as follows: we need to construct a small roofed in area that matches all of the requirements laid out; we must be at least five miles away from anyone who will not be part of our team; we must sit equal distance from each other around the tablet; we must each allow a drop of our blood to fall onto the tablet; and we must recite the oath I read to you earlier."

"Are you sure you kids want to do this?" asked Auron, in his old gruff voice. How L had managed to talk him into joining in this would forever remain unknown to the other three. "You realize this is serious things you're meddling with. You have no idea what's in store for you."

The five of them sat around a fire mere feet away from a small building. It looked like it was roughly constructed my amateurs. They were in a small clearing, surrounded by trees deep in the middle of the forest – at least ten miles away from the nearest village. The sun had just sat about an hour ago, but the stars and moon could not be seen due to cloud cover.

Silence marked the response to Auron's question. It was a huge risk they were taking, and L had, at several points in the past, said that they should slow down and really think about this. Leave it to the skinny pale guy to point out the seriousness of the situation. Leave it to the old warrior to resurrect these questions and concerns and really make sure that they're prepared for this. Leave it to the idiot blond to respond that he didn't have any doubts.

"Of course I'M ready! I don't know about that idiot coward with the orange hair over there!" Naruto yelled.

Ichigo, for his part, reacted as everyone around that fire expected. "WHO THE HELL'RE YOU CALLING A COWARD!?"

While the two began a verbal argument that could probably be heard ten miles away, L leaned over and whispered to Zelda, "Notice he didn't say anything about the 'idiot' comment."

The two shared a brief giggle, while Auron facepalmed. "If you two are quite finished," Auron started, interrupting the two somewhere between _whiskered freak_ and _I'm gonna kill you, you bastard_, "I think we should go ahead and do this. If all of you are really sure." Auron looked at each of them in turn, measuring their resolve by how well they returned the stare.

After what seemed like an eternity of staring at each other, Auron nodded. "So be it."

He pulled out a rather large, wicked looking knife, and motioned for them to get into position. They did so, entering the 'house' in question and forming the corners of a pentagon as the instructions L had read dictated. Auron passed the knife to his right, handing it to Ichigo. "I'll go last, if that's alright," he said.

Ichigo nodded, and looked at the knife. All that was needed was a drop of blood. He gaze shifted slightly to the tablet, which L had just placed in the center. He looked at it for a while, thinking about whether or not he should really do this. Finally, nodding to himself, he pricked his finger and extended his arm, allowing a drop of blood to fall onto the tablet.

It started to glow.

"All of you have said your silent farewells, right? There can be nothing holding you back once you take that first step," Auron stated. They all nodded while Ichigo handed the knife over to Zelda.

The process repeated itself, with Zelda taking a moment, shedding a drop of her blood, and the tablet's glow intensified. She passed it on to Naruto, who, after repeating that process, passed it on to L.

L took longer than the others. He more than anyone sitting around the tablet could truly imagine the risk they were taking. While Naruto, Ichigo, and Zelda could likely imagine some truly awful things, the worst thing in their minds was likely death. L, however, was far more intelligent than that. He was among the only people in any of the villages that had spent a great deal of time reading, and some of what he had read over the course of his 20 years of life depicted suffering hardly imaginable. To him, death would be a blessing in the face of such fates.

Besides, this could be a god they were dealing with, or at the very least a very powerful spirit. Death wouldn't necessarily mean the end of the game, depending on whether or not it could play around with the human soul.

Bracing himself, he cut his finger and let the blood flow, letting a single drop hit the surface of the tablet.

Passing it to his right, he gave the knife back to Auron, who cut his finger and allowed a drop to hit the tablet's surface without any hesitation.

By this point, the tablet itself had shifted between several colors. When Ichigo's blood at hit it, it had barely glowed a light blue. When Zelda's blood at hit it, it glowed a strong dark purple. When Naruto's blood hit the tablet, it was glowing a light red. With L's, it was an almost blinding light green. When Auron's blood hit it, it was a dazzling white, and from the tablet came a gust of air, which shook the walls of the 'house' very violently, almost causing it to collapse.

But it held, and as everything went quiet again they all felt... lightheaded. The feeling passed after a moment, and when it did they heard a booming voice. They didn't hear it with their ears, per se, but they heard it just the same. It was a deep, violent, powerful voice.

"**Five have gathered, their blood has fallen. Who are ye, that wish to play?"**

They all looked at L, who nodded, saying that this was the time for them to name themselves and swear the oath. According to L's instructions, they should introduce themselves in the order that they let the blood fall, which meant Ichigo was first. They were supposed to give their first and last names, and swear the following:

"I, Ichigo Kurosaki, do swear to place my life at risk, to play thy game to the fullest, and gain thy prize."

They each followed suit, saying:

"I, Zelda Nohansen, do swear to place my life at risk, to play thy game to the fullest, and gain thy prize."

"I, Naruto Uzumaki, do swear to place my life at risk, to play thy game to the fullest, and gain thy prize."

"I, Ryuzaki Lawliet, commonly called L, do swear to place my life at risk, to play thy game to the fullest, and gain thy prize."

"I, Auron..., do swear to place my life at risk, to play thy game to the fullest, and gain thy prize."

They all looked at Auron, shocked. A full name was needed. What was he doing?

"**I accept your oaths, and deem thee worthy of participating in the Nine Rounds. Good luck, brave souls, and may your hearts prove true in this game of life and death."**

With that a white, glowing sphere appeared above the tablet, and expanded softly, taking in each member of this group, and for a time they knew no more.


	4. The Beginning

The Beginning

Auron was the first to wake. Stirring lightly, he opened his eyes to take in his surroundings... only to find that they had no surroundings. Everywhere he looks was nothing but pitch black, which caused him to awake fully in alarm and sit up, looking around.

The first thing he noticed was that, despite the pitch black around him, he could see himself and his team perfectly. His hand almost seemed to glow when compared to the black around them. Every direction was nothing but black, even below. He touched the ground, but he only felt resistance to his hand. No texture, no incline, nothing. It was a most peculiar sensation, and he quickly brought his hand back up. Shifting, he propped himself up to a standing position, and started to walk around.

Nothing changed, and after a while he turned around and returned to his team. There was no sense of scale here, no telling how large this area was. Where were they, anyway?

It was then that he noticed their clothing. All of them were dressed in black kimonos, and all of them had swords. Katanas, to be precise. While Zelda's, Naruto's, and L's were as you would expect, Ichigo had a body-length blade strapped to his back. Why was his so much bigger?

Auron's blade was thick and heavy as well, and he took a few practice swings with it, getting a feel for it. While he was doing so, Ichigo began to groan, stretch, and stand up.

"Where'd you get the sword, old man?" he asked Auron, who only cast him an amused look in reply. It was then that Ichigo realized the change in his attire and the huge sword he possessed. Pulling it out, he marveled at the size of it. "Where'd this come from? And why is mine so huge!?"

"Maybe it's to compensate for something," Auron said dryly, and ignored Ichigo's aggressive denial to that interpretation.

His yelling caused the others to stir and wake up, and one by one they each realized their situation. L stretched, yawned, and asked if there was any food around. Preferably candy. Finding the answer to be a negative, L shrugged and got up, looking around.

It was then that they heard a particular laugh. Turning in the direction, they saw what could only be described by most as a monster. It was tall and thin, with most of its body (or was that some kind of clothing?) black in color. It had a very angular jaw, with large yellow teeth and yellow eyes with red irises. It's shoulders had... things jutting out of it, and its blueish face was topped by blue hair. All in all, it was unlike anything this group had seen, and Zelda let out a small scream when she caught sight of it.

"Hehe – I figured you'd react that way. Most humans do," it said.

Ichigo readied his sword, preparing to attack.

"Now now, don't attack your guide,"

"Guide?" L asked.

"Yes, guide. I'm here to guide you to the first round, and tell you the rules. My name is Ryuk. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Silence greeted that, with everyone showing varying degrees of surprise. Auron was the first to recover from his shock, and asked simply, "So where to, Ryuk?"

"Straight to business, eh? Hehehe - no need to rush. I have to explain the general rules of the first four rounds. As amusing as it would be to see you running around lost, I'd get in serious trouble if I didn't tell you a little about what lies ahead. So put your sword away and listen to me."

Ichigo did as instructed, and the five of them walked up to Ryuk, ready to hear the rules. L, however, couldn't help but ask, "The rules change at Round 5?"

"Yes, but I can't tell you about that yet."

L merely nodded, expecting as much. Apparently they were to run into almost everything blind. At least these rules would help them prepare for whatever the first four rounds were.

"There are only three rules. First, the entire party must survive. If one of you dies over the course of this game, all of you will be struck down by the Rule Keepers."

There was a bit of shock at that pronouncement, with Auron visibly paling. He immediately looked at L and Zelda, who had little to no battle experience. Then he chastised himself for immediately assuming that they would have to do battle with anyone. Or anything. Even if they were given swords, that doesn't automatically mean they would have to fight. Though to him it seemed very, very likely.

"Secondly, there can be no backing out at any time. You swore an oath, and you are obligated, under penalty of soul death, to keep it."

"Soul death?" L asked without thinking.

"Yes, soul death. Given that you are Level 2 souls, you're still subject to the reincarnation cycle. Simple death isn't the end for you, which means that even if you fall in any of the rounds your existence doesn't end. If you try to quit and back out, though, your souls themselves will perish, and that will be the end of you. Completely." He then laughed a bit, which made the answer even more unnerving.

L nodded, slightly relieved that, at the very least, this would not be the complete end for them if they failed this game.

"Finally, you must adhere to the specific rules within each round at all times. Don't worry – none of them are particularly troublesome for ya, but they do make the game more interesting." Ryuk grinned largely. He seemed to be enjoying this. "Any questions?"

"Just one," Ichigo began. "How much fighting are we going to be doing?"

"You'll find out."

Ichigo would have started yelling, but both Auron and L sent him the look that essentially said "don't argue, you idiot," so he just grumbled quietly.

"I have a question," L said.

"What is it?"

"Each Round is particularly unique, correct? Each significantly different from the other."

"I suppose."

"How much preparation time are we allowed between rounds?"

"I thought you only had one question."

L shrugged, which caused Ryuk to chuckle. "As long as you like. You don't have to jump into a round until you're ready, but you'll be stuck here in this black between rounds, which is unpleasant for humans from what I understand."

L nodded. Whoever the game designer was proved to be surprisingly merciful in that regard. That bothered him. What did it gain from giving them these handicaps? First there were the swords they were given, with Ichigo's being a particularly large blade. Then this guide appeared and started answering their questions. Now it turns out that they aren't rushed and otherwise pressured to perform, instead allowed to keep their cool and, to an extent, do things at their own pace. What was the benefit to the Game Creator to be so merciful toward his victims?

"Why does this game exist?" L asked.

Ryuk really started laughing at that. His laughed lasted for well over a minute, and when he stopped he said simply, "You'll learn soon enough, silly human. You'll learn soon enough."

Naruto shot his hand up, and Ryuk turned his unsettling gaze on the exuberant blond. "How often do we eat?"

"In this form, you don't have to. Although it may feel like it, you are not actually in your physical bodies now. Your in what is termed a soul's mirror, in which your soul mimicks the form of your bodies since that's what you're consciousness is most familiar and comfortable with."

Naruto merely nodded dumbly, understanding only that food wasn't a problem.

Silence reigned for a moment. "Any more questions?" Ryuk asked. When no one voiced a question, Ryuk shrugged. "Well, whatever. When you're ready to begin..."

Ryuk snapped his fingers, and behind him a glowing golden door appeared. It had several richly detailed carving adorning it, all of which centered on the doorknob.

"...open this door. When you do, you'll be taken into what's called a Waiting Area, where I'll appear again to explain the particulars of that Round. Afterward, you begin."

With that, Ryuk merely faded, disappearing into nothing in a matter of seconds. They all watched him go, then turned and looked at each other. Silence reigned in that eternal blackness for what felt like hours, as each waited for another to take the first step toward the door. Finally, Naruto, adjusting his katana a little bit, walked up to the door and turned around, waiting.

Everyone else, as a group, followed suit, and when they got there, Ichigo walked up, opened the door, and was greeted by the most blinding of lights.

**A/N: In case you couldn't guess, I was trying to go for the Shinigami uniforms you see in Bleach. Unfortunately, I kind of suck when it comes to describing clothing, so... XD**


	5. Round 1 START

**A/N: Being Christmas and all, I thought I'd share a gift with you. This week, I'm uploading three chapters instead of one for your enjoyment. I've been keeping a nice backlog (mostly thanks to me starting this almost a month before uploading the first chapter), so I thought I'd cut into that a bit. Merry Christmas to all five of you currently reading this fanfic. =D**

Round 1 START

When the group could see again, they found themselves in the most luxurious of surroundings. All around them were chairs and couches with the most comfortable of cushions, with each piece of furniture carved with the most intricate of designs, all featuring, in their own ways, different creatures. At first, they appeared to be merely representations of the animal kingdom, but upon a closer investigation, L realized that they were carvings of various mythological creatures. This chair had a unicorn on each arm, this couch a centaur, this table a group of fairies. It was really a magnificent set to behold, but that was only the beginning of it.

All around them were paintings of the highest caliber, depicting various scenes of beauty, wonder, or, here and there, horror. Each of them went to investigate this or that piece that adorned the golden walls, which were, in themselves, works of art, having been carved into a myriad of patterns that went up, down, or across the walls. None noticed the carpet, which was also the work of a master, its complex designs creating optical illusions, casting any eye that looked upon it into a mild state of confusion.

As each of them settled down and began talking amongst themselves, Ryuk appeared before them. "Enjoying yourselves?" he asked, rather amused by the group's initial reaction.

"Very," Zelda answered, stretching out on the couch she had chosen for herself. Her katana rested on the foot of that magnificently comfortable piece of furniture.

Ryuk laughed at that, and at Naruto who had already nodded off in the few minutes they were left alone in this room. Floating over, he poked Naruto in the face with one of his long fingers, the victim of that treatment just mumbling a bit and rolling over.

"Allow me," said Ichigo. Ryuk shrugged and moved over, and Ichigo walked over and gently picked the slumbering blonde up... before throwing him across the room. Naruto landed on a table, which broke under the force of Ichigo's throw, and promptly woke up yelling. In the meantime, Ryuk was asking why L sat in such an odd way.

"WHAT THE HELL!?" Naruto turned around to face the one responsible, and promptly drew his sword. "It's on now, you bastard! I told you the next time you did that I'd kill you!"

Ichigo drew his own blade, which was far larger than Naruto's average sized weapon. That didn't seem to phase Naruto at all, however, as he started charging in getting ready to strike.

L and Auron got between them, blocking one each with their own swords. Auron, of course, was facing Ichigo, since his sword was rather large as well.

It was Zelda who spoke, having jumped up from her couch. "Guys, chill out! We can't afford to fight amonst ourselves! Remember the rules!"

Naruto's eyes widened, his mind immediately flashing back to Ryuk's words. _"...the entire party must __survive. If one of you dies over the course of this game, all of you will be struck down by the Rule Keepers."_

"Dammit," he muttered, withdrawing and sheathing his sword, eyes cast downward. Ichigo, Auron, and L followed suit. Zelda merely held her forehead with her hand, as if she just got a headache.

Ryuk watched all of this with a certain amount of amusement, the entire exchange entertaining him to no end. Chuckling once everything had settled down, he cleared his throat to get everyone's attention, then began his explanation of the First Round.

"This round is actually pretty straightforward: you must simply work your way through a maze." He paused for effect, seeing if anyone had any questions so far. Finding the answer to be 'no,' he continued. "This room marks the start of this maze. The maze itself is divided into three sections, with the door leading to each section closed until all five of you get there. When you open it, you must defeat that checkpoint's guardian." He paused again.

"So," L asked, "is that it?"

Ryuk chuckled. "Not quite. There's one more thing I should mention. While you're hunting for the exit of the maze, something lurking in the maze hunts you." With that, Ryuk vanished, and one of the walls vanished, revealing a small hallway with a door at the end.

L looked at the door. "So we have no idea what's hunting us, and we're thrown into a maze which is no doubt going to take some time to pass through. We can only assume that this thing, whatever it is, means to kill us."

"Quite," Auron answered. "Before he open that door, there's something I need to ask all of you." Silence reigned. The other four looked at him, waiting for the question. "How much battle experience do each of you have?"

"None," L answered immediately. "To be completely honest, I was surprised I had managed to block Naruto's sword earlier." Auron merely nodded, expecting as much.

"I don't have any either," Zelda answered. "I have a little experience with a bow, but that's only with hunting."

Naruto and Ichigo looked at each other, both thinking the same thing. To date, Zelda has never brought a kill home. "She should've just stayed in the kitchen," Naruto mumbled.

"What was that, Naruto?" Auron asked.

"Uh... well, I haven't used a sword much," he said, "but Ichigo and me spar quite a bit, and we've gone and, uh, 'raided' another village a few times, which always turned into a big fight."

"We used sticks mostly, but Naruto sometimes had a small knife on him, and one time I managed to get a sword off of some kid named Neji," Ichigo added.

Auron nodded, frowning. "It doesn't surprise me that none of you have ever experienced a real battle. I suppose this is better than nothing, though. I want the four of you to pair off. Ichigo with L, and Naruto with Zelda."

"What about you?" L asked.

"I have fought many battles, Ryuzaki, and led armies. I'll be fine."

L merely nodded, before saying, "How many times have I told you? Call me L."

Auron shrugged, walking toward the door.

"Oh, by the way..." Ryuk reappeared before the door.

What is it?" Auron asked, getting mildly impatient.

"There is a question of sorts you need to answer by the end of the Fourth Round. While it isn't necessary, it can make life a little easier afterward if you get the question right." L perked up, then. He was expecting a riddle, given how long they had to answer it. "What is the significance of the numbers five and nine?"

"As far as how they are related to each other, or how the---" L began asking, but Ryuk cut him off.

"That's for you to determine." With that, he vanished again.

"Fine, whatever," Naruto said. "Let's just get started." With that, he stood closer to Zelda, with Ichigo getting closer to L. Auron opened the door, and together the five walked through it, each with their own dark thoughts about what lay ahead. L's mind, however, was also at work on another matter, and the significance of certain numbers...

**A/N – I hope to maintain this chapter a week schedule I've started until at least the end of January. Hopefully longer. In any event, enjoy. :3**


	6. The Maze

The Maze

They were greeted by a hallway that reminded them much of the room they just left. It was richly furnished and richly decorated. They walked down it in silence, not paying as much attention to the rich detail crafted for the eyes as they did when they first entered this mansion. At least, that's what Auron thought it was: a mansion designed like a maze. Indeed, there was already a fork in the road, with the hallways splitting into two. So far, there were no other doors. Auron, without even hesitating, chose the right path.

The other four, however, paused. "Which way do you wanna go?" Naruto asked Zelda. She thought a little bit, then shrugged. "I guess we could go the other way. Left." Naruto nodded, and the two started down that way.

Ichigo looked at L, who shrugged and began going down the path to the right. Ichigo followed him, and the two caught up with Auron no time. They walked along in silence for a little bit, then L started talking to Auron.

"I have a question, Auron."

"What is it, Ryu... L?"

"Back when we first started this game and swore an oath to play it 'till the end with everything we had, you only gave your first name. Why was that?"

There was a brief silence as Auron deliberated about how to answer L's question. Finally, he just said, "I no longer have a last name."

L would have pursued that answer, wanting more, but they met another split, with another hallway off to the right while this one continued on straight. Auron turned to go down the right path, saying, "You two continue down that way. If this maze is shaped like I think it is, we'll run into each other again at some point."

L, for his part, wanted to go with Auron, but he had paired them off rather decisively. Shrugging, he followed Ichigo as he made his way forward, pushing ahead into the unknown.

~.~

Naruto and Zelda had already encountered several doors, opening each to see a room that split off into two hallways. They both could already tell that this maze was huge, and it would take a looooong time to pass it.

"Why do we have to get through this stupid maze?" Naruto mumbled to himself, but Zelda heard and answered, thinking he was asking her.

"That's just what this round is." She paused, thinking. "I wonder if every round is going to be like this..."

"Like what?"

"If every round is going to split us up like this. None of us are supposed to die, which means that you'd think we'd be working together to ensure our survival, but the first round is a maze, and the best way to tackle a maze is t..." Her eyes widened.

"What is it?" Naruto asked, suddenly worried.

"Should we really have split up like that?"

"We can cover more ground faster if we split up. That was L's reasoning back in the pyramid."

"That's true, but there we had a way of marking our progress and a way of meeting back together to compare our drawn maps and find the way. Here, we just split up with no plan, no paper or pen, and we're already lost."

Indeed, while they were talking they had entered one of the doors, chosen one of the two hallways to follow, and had walked down a flight of stairs to be faced with another split pathway. They chose to go right this time, and after walking down that hallway for a few minutes noticed something unsettling.

Whereas in the beginning everything was in perfect condition, the gold shining the light from the chandeliers overhead, here things were becoming a little messy and disorderly. Here a table was overturned, here a chair was broken in two, splinters scattered everywhere. The walls seemed like they were damaged here and there, dents in the gold finish. Here or there the golden surface was completely done away, showing a stone surface beneath.

"Maybe we should turn around," Zelda said, fingering the hilt of her sword a little bit.

"No," Naruto said, surprisingly serious for once. "Whatever did this is probably what's hunting us, and you know that the end of this maze lies on the other side of that thing's hunting grounds. If anything, this just proves that we're going the right way. So far."

Zelda looked at him and nodded. There was no arguing against that logic, and the two ventured forward, Naruto drawing his katana, prepared for anything that may happen. Or so he thought.

~.~

Naruto and Zelda weren't the only ones to notice a change of scenery. Ichigo and L were slowly venturing into similar looking territory. Ichigo had his sword drawn, and L was drawing his at the moment. Of the entire group, L's sword was perhaps the smallest and the thinnest, being more akin to a wakizashi than a katana. Nevertheless, it still had that curve to it, and since everyone else was calling their swords katanas...

They had already come a long way, making several turns and going through a couple of doors, which in turn offered several more turns to follow. They had yet to stumble upon a staircase, but it really was only a matter of time.

"So what do you suppose this prize is, anyway?" Ichigo asked, finding the silence to be a little uncomfortable.

"I couldn't even begin to guess, though I do have a few ideas." When Ichigo didn't say anything in response, L guessed that he wanted to hear those ideas, so he continued. "It has to be something tremendously powerful, given how challenging this game will probably be. If this first round is any indication, then we're in for quite a challenge."

"No doubt there. I just hope not everyone round is this... this..."

"What?" L was surprised. Ichigo wasn't usually one to struggle for a word.

"...boring." Ichigo grinned a bit.

"It probably won't always be like this. Remember that something is hunting us, and we've got checkpoint guardians to defeat."

Ichigo nodded. "So anyway, about our prize...."

"Oh, right."

So the conversation continued, with L naming a few things he read in books regarding legendary items, such as swords that had the power to control lightning, or a book with all the secrets of the universe in it. So they went, making turns cautiously as they proceeded deeper and deeper into what they perceived to be the lair of a beast...

~.~

Auron had made more progress than either of the pairs. His mind was completely focused on his task, his senses on full alert for the hunter that Ryuk said was there. After making several turns, most of them to the right when possible, he was sure he was toward the outside of the maze. While at first everything appeared rich and decorative, as he made his way comfortable surroundings gave way to stone on all sides. The chandeliers that lit his way in the beginning had been replaced by torches that lined the walls, and the warm comfortable temperature was steadily dropping the further he went.

He had drawn his sword long ago, and it was, at the moment, resting comfortably on his shoulder, ready to strike at any moment. Unlike the others, with their increasing caution due, in part, to a growing fear at the pit of their stomachs, Auron continued moving along at a brisk pace, rounding corners and climbing stairs as if he did not have a care in the world. It was in the midst of this mood that he heard a sound.

That sound, along with the growing sensation of being watched, caused him to tense up, but on the outside he remained looking like nothing was bothering him, as he made his way through the maze. He was irked a little when he discovered that this maze had multiple levels, with stairs going up and down and all around. He wouldn't have been surprised if the others were feeling similar amounts of frustration. So far, he had mostly concentrated on going up. He figured that the first checkpoint would be on the top fl--

He dodged to the side just in the nick of time, the giant battle ax barely catching part of his clothing. Turning around, he faced his opponent, and was truly shocked by what he saw...

~.~

Naruto and Zelda were resting, having walked around for what felt like hours. They were sitting on opposite sides of the hallway, the gold decorations and rich furniture now a distant memory. How long had they been here, wandering around hallways and up and down stairs, searching for the checkpoint? Neither could guess, and Naruto, while pleased he at least had a lovely companion to look at, was getting tired of Zelda's short temper. Zelda was having similar feelings toward Naruto. Both of them were getting angry quicker and quicker as their frustration mounted.

It was that reason they decided to take a break and cool their heads. Otherwise, they might have drawn swords on each other by now.

Neither of them questioned that their bodies had not yet grown even the slightest bit fatigued since they arrived. Neither had noticed that, in the hours they had wandered around chatting and arguing, they had grown neither hungry or thirsty. Neither had needed to relieve themselves or answer any calls to nature. It was beyond them to notice, but someone else did...

~.~

"Oh, really?" Ichigo asked, not quite believing what L was telling him.

"Yeah. We've been here for hours, but neither of us have needed to stop for anything. It's just so strange. We should have gotten hungry by now. Or felt the need to take a piss somewhere. So far, nothing."

"Well, now that you mention it," Ichigo said, his face looking pensive, "I haven't felt anything. I'm nowhere near tired yet, either."

"Exactly. Something is off." L looked a bit worried. In every other respect, his body felt right. There was pain if he pinched himself. More pain if he punched a wall. He checked his pulse and found it to be normal. Which, after running for a few minutes, wasn't normal at all. His heart should be pounding. He should be breathing more heavily. He shoul--

"What was that?" Ichigo asked, looking back the way they came. His eyes were focused, the grip on his sword tighter than before. His senses were on the alert, and, as the sound occurred again, L drew his sword as well. He knew he was all but useless in a fight, but all the same...

Unfortunately, the light from the torches did little to illuminate the hallway. It was barely enough light to see guide their feet. Why didn't this place have any windows anyway? Sunlight would be a huge help here.

Even so, Ichigo caught movement in the distance. A large opponent was approaching, and it had the largest battle ax he had ever seen. "Get behind me, L," he whispered, slowly backing up. He still couldn't accurately guess the size of either the opponent or his weapon, but both seemed monstrously huge.

It seemed to have stopped, and then... "L, DUCK!" Dropping to the ground, both of them were spared death as the giant ax flew overhead, but neither could get us fast enough as the huge opponent charged down the hallway, kicking both of them with... a hoof?

As they slammed against the wall, L caught sight of horns, and, when he put that together with the other clues regarding this enemy, he knew what they were facing. "A damn minotaur..."

~.~

Auron, even when parrying and blocking, still felt a great deal of pain. The minotaur he faced knew how to throw his weight around, and Auron, even with years of battle experience behind him, was being pressed hard and forced to stay completely on the defensive. Not only was the enemy using his ax with great efficiency, but his horns, his GIANT fur covered fist, and his hooves were also being used to force Auron further and further back.

"C'mon, you big mother f..." he couldn't even finish his taunt, as time wasted talking was time he needed for breathing. Everything was needed to fend off this foe, and he threw everything he had into the fight, which just didn't seem to be enough, for any opening Auron could see to take advantage of just couldn't be used, since taking advantage would, in turn, leave himself open. He had to think, and he had to think hard and fast. He was just thankful that the hunter had found him instead of the others. They wouldn't have stood a chance.

He had no idea that there was not just one minotaur, but three within this part of the maze.


	7. The Hunter and His Prey

The Hunter and His Prey

"What was that?" Naruto asked, suddenly jumping up and looking back the way they came.

"Nothing," Zelda answered. "You're probably just imagining things."

"I could have sworn I... listen, there it was again."

This time Zelda jumped up as well. There was definitely something down the hall, just past the corner. They couldn't see it yet, but they could begin hearing it. The sound of footsteps on stone, though what kind of person could have steps that sounded like that neither of them could even begin to guess. When it rounded the corner, though, they both just gaped in horror. Before them stood a minotaur, at least 8 feet tall not counting his horns. His upper body was of a musculature not possible for human beings, with its legs being somewhat smaller but still no laughing matter – a good kick from that could probably knock the wind out of you, particularly when you considered the hooves at the very end. Oh no, this was not going to be easy at all.

Unlike the others, Zelda and Naruto had not progressed through the maze to the point where there was nothing but stone around them. Their way was still lit by chandeliers that hung from the ceiling, which gave them a much better idea of the foe they faced than the others could get from their half-lit surroundings. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing was up for debate, though.

Naruto had his sword out and ready, but it was shaking slightly. While he was something of a fool, even he could tell that he stood no chance against this enemy. "Z-zelda... we should run for it. There's just no way...."

"I don't think running would do any good. He looks really fast, too." Zelda had yet to completely lose her composure like Naruto, but she had visibly paled, her eyes clearly showing the fear she had managed to at least marginally control. So far.

Naruto looked at her like she was completely insane, but as the minotaur started charging he had to admit she had a point. It was a giant brown blur, moving at a speed that seemed impossible to Naruto. There was no way something that damn big could move that damn fast.

It seemed to be going for Zelda, but at the last second Naruto found himself jumping in the way, blocking that massive ax with his sword. That block cost him a lot, though, and he was forced to his knee in a matter of seconds before the beast pulled back, getting ready for another swing. It was then that Zelda came up with a strategy for getting away from this beast.

The hallways they had traversed varied in how wide they were, with some being so wide that the entire party could walk side by side, while others were so narrow that not even these two would have to walk single file. Up until now Zelda didn't pay it any attention, but now that she thought about it perhaps it was designed that way on purpose. This thing was a huge hulking beast, so maybe if they could find a narrow hallway, it wouldn't be able to follow.

"Naruto, follow me!"

"What!?"

"I have an idea for escape! Just c'mon!"

Naruto jumped up and followed her, barely dodging another swing in the process. Zelda scanned the walls for doors, cracks, anything. Finding a door to her right, he lunged into it, breaking it and showing another split hallway. Fortunately, the left one seemed narrow enough, and she rushed into it, Naruto only a step behind.

The beast howled in fury, swinging its great ax into the hallway and knicking the back of Naruto's left foot, which tripped him up and sent him sprawling to the ground. Still, he crawled as fast as he could, but when he looked back he saw that it was still standing at the edge of the hallway. It could probably have squeezed in if it wanted to, but then it wouldn't have been able to fight. Either way, it howled a terrible cry again and turned around, vanishing from sight.

By this time, Zelda was running back to help Naruto. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered, starting to get up before yelling in pain. Zelda looked at his foot. The back of his shoe and sock were missing, and in their place was a torrent of blood that was already pooling behind him. "Maybe not," he amended, his breath hissing between his teeth.

"Hold still," she ordered, ripping most of her right sleeve off to wrap his foot up with. She carefully removed what remained of the shoe, which was little more than a comfortable-sized bit of leather shaped to be put around his foot, and began wrapping up his foot. Tightly.

"I think that's a little too tight, Zelda. Maybe you sho-- ow!" She had bonked him on the head.

"Shut up. It needs to be tight to stop the bleeding." After she was done, she looked at him, her gaze rather... focused. Naruto wasn't used to being the center of such intent focus, and looked away blushing slightly. It was then that Zelda threw her arms around him. "I'm so glad you're ok."

Naruto made noises that would indicate he was in pain, which was due, at least in part, to just how tightly she was hugging him at the moment.

"Can't... breathe..."

~.~

Auron was locked in a duel to the death. There was no doubt about that now. While he had finally managed to get a few attacks in, cutting his enemy here or there shallowly, it was clear who the winner would be if this continued. While he had yet to sustain any injuries himself, barring a jarred hand that still felt a little stiff even after a few minutes, he knew it was only a matter of time before his enemy would manage to deliver a finishing blow.

A dodge, a duck, another dodge. Blocking his powerful swings hurt too much, so Auron was testing his agility for the first time in over two decades. Despite his age, he was still pretty spry, and was able to keep any part of him from meeting that ax. For now.

The minotaur swung down, with Auron dodging to the right. Switching hands, he used his left to cut into the minotaur's left arm, with the blow being deeper than any before. In fact, he felt the blade jar suddenly, and with a motion he let the blade slide out of the arm as he ran forward. Auron had, for the first time since the battle started, got a really deep cut. He had, in fact, hit bone.

The beast roared in anger and pain, and, dropping his ax, moved his right hand to cradle the sudden wound. Auron thanked the stars: if he was lucky, the beast wouldn't be able to use its left arm anymore. And, indeed, the left arm went limp, which caused the minotaur to howl yet again, then briskly turn around and charge at Auron with its horns. Auron saw this coming and, ducking, swung his sword upward, getting another cut into the chest before dodging out of the way, avoiding being run over and trampled. This was the third time he's managed to do this, but none of the cuts were able to cause any real damage. Just another line of pain for the minotaur to endure.

Auron was breathing heavily. Even if his body didn't seem to tire while he was exploring the maze at his brisk pace, this battle was certainly taxing him. He would have to manage an escape soon if he didn't defeat his foe in so long, or else his endurance would run out and the minotaur would have quite the easy kill.

The minotaur, however, seemed to have other ideas, and after casting Auron one last hate filled glance, it took off down the corridor, vanishing into the darkness. Auron sighed with relief and, after a moment, practically collapsed onto the stone below. He lay there for several minutes, just breathing and letting his battle rage leave him. Finally, feeling somewhat cold, he got up and, after determining which way he had come from, continued down the hallway as if nothing had really happened. It was also the direction the minotaur had fled in, but that didn't bother Auron: that minotaur had run to lick its wounds, and it would take time for them to heal. Particularly that left arm.

Pausing for a moment to look at his enemy's ax, he tried to pick it up, but when he touched it his hand jerked back, and he briefly cried out in pain. His hand was suddenly raw and blistered, for the ax felt like it burned to the touch. Ripping off a bit of his sleeve to wrap his left hand it, he shouldered his own blade again and once again began walking down the hallway, his mind going over the path he had taken just far and the battle he had just fought.

~.~

Ichigo's battle was still going strong. The size of his blade had, so far, worked to his advantage, and it wasn't as hard on him to block the ax swings as it was on Naruto and Auron. L was so far staying back, holding his blade ready to take an opportunistic hit.

That first kick of the battle had taken its toll on them, and Ichigo had just barely been able to get up and block that first swing after the enemy had gotten its ax back. Since then it's been a desperate struggle, with Ichigo completely on the defensive the entire time. Unlike Auron, who could see and, on occasion, exploit the openings his enemy gave him, Ichigo didn't have battle trained eyes, and at every point he was blocking or dodging, both him and his enemy remaining unscathed. For the moment, at least: Ichigo was beginning to wear under his enemy's constant assault. If it wasn't the ax, it was a horn. If not a horn, a well timed kicked. This enemy seemed very skilled in the art of combat, and Ichigo found himself being pressed back, which was really something considering he was moving around the enemy trying to time his own attack.

The minotaur brought the ax back for another swing, and Ichigo, tired of constantly being on the defensive, decided to use this opportunity to attack. Swinging his large sword toward his enemy's head, he was convinced he had managed a pivotal attack for his winning this battle. However, the minotaur merely lowered his head, and Ichigo's swing hit a horn instead.

The beast made a sound that Ichigo could only guess what a chuckle, and started his downward arc, his ax aimed at Ichigo's neck. Ichigo pushed on his blade, wanting to finish the swing and block the enemy's attack. This pushed the minotaur over, and instead of finishing its swing it brought its right arm down to stop itself from falling. Ichigo used this as an opportunity to try and stab it, but the minotaur merely dodged out of the way, rolling before coming up to a standing position again, preparing another swing.

Ichigo took a couple of steps back, and the ax completed its journey harmlessly with him being just out of reach. Ichigo was breathing heavily, tiring from the constant exertion. If that opportunity had presented itself earlier in the battle, he was sure he would have been fast enough to give the enemy at least a flesh wound. He was slowing down. At the very least, it seemed the minotaur was breathing a little more heavily now, even if his breaths weren't the desperate gulps of air Ichigo's breathing was.

Each stared the other down for a moment, measuring the state of their opponent's fatigue, comparing that level of fatigue with their own, and planning accordingly. The minotaur, however, had completely forgotten about L. Over the course of the exchange, Ichigo had, quite by accident, gotten the minotaur to face away from the other opponent, and L had taken this time to sneak up behind the enemy and drive his blade into its back. The blade didn't get as deep as L was hoping it would, since the enemy reacted quickly, moving forward and preparing to turn around, intending to kill the fool that dared try to sneak up on him.

L, sensing he was in danger, quickly withdrew his blade and backed up, preparing to run. However, hearing Ichigo's footsteps behind it, the minotaur was forced to dodge to the side, not wanting to turn its back on either of these enemies. Ichigo's sword swing missed, but the minotaur didn't take advantage of the wide opening its enemy foolishly gave him. Despite the fact that it was obvious that the pale human with dark hair off to the side wasn't much of a fighter, the minotaur didn't want to give him another opening even if it meant finishing off the orange haired one.

Taking another step back, the minotaur backed up against the wall, which put both enemies within his field of vision. Ichigo and L regrouped, both facing the enemy with their blades pointed at it.

"Good thinking there, L."

"Thanks. It seems he wasn't completely unaware of me, though. Either that or it has a very high reaction speed."

"Either way, it seems we won't be winning this. Any ideas?"

L was quiet for a few seconds. "We could try finding a smaller hallway. There was one a bit back that way, if I remember right. If we can get in there, it shouldn't be able to follow us. We'll be spared... at least for the moment."

Ichigo nodded, pleased to have an escape.

The minotaur was feeling the wound L gave it tenderly. While it was bleeding, the wound was rather shallow and, despite being a constant source of mild pain, not a problem. It wouldn't slow the beast down at all. Grunting, it prepared its next move, ready to strike against the orange haired on.

Lunging forward, it swing at Ichigo, who was once again on the defensive, blocking that mighty attack with his sword. While he was busy with that, the minotaur aimed a kick at L, who barely dodge it in time, rolling to the side, putting him behind the minotaur again.

It wasn't going to have that, though, and again ran off to the side, facing both of them.

"That hallway should be behind us now, Ichigo," L said, ready to make a run for it. "Off to the left."

Ichigo nodded, and, after a few seconds, the two turned tail and ran. Ichigo proved to be a little faster than L, but when he saw the hallway in question he turned around to face the beast again. L ran past, literally jumping into the doorway. Ichigo was forced to block one last swing, but then he too jumped into the hallway, leaving an angry minotaur in the corridor they just left.

The minotaur looked down the hallway at the two, then it turned and seemed to leave. "I vote for going this way," Ichigo said, pointing down forward into the hallway.

"Good idea," L agreed, and together they stood up and walked onward, away from the beast they just left. The beast howled behind them, but for the moment they were safe.

"It wouldn't surprise me if that thing could break walls," L said. That thought caused them to pick up their pace a bit, even if it seemed it wasn't going to try crashing in after them. As the adrenaline died down in their systems and they were able to calm down a bit, though, they stopped to rest. L wasn't that tired, but Ichigo was on the verge of collapse. "It seems battle will still tire you out, even if running around for half an hour won't."

"No... joke...," Ichigo said between breaths. After a moment, though, as his breathing eased, he said, "It's strange, though. Toward the end there I wasn't feeling as tired as I knew I should have. It was like... I had more energy all of a sudden, but that energy didn't feel the same. It felt... different... it felt like more than just..." Ichigo struggled for words, but he couldn't think of how to describe it.

"It was probably coming from deep within your soul," L said. "I've come to the conclusion that we're not in our physical bodies, even if it feels like we are. Despite the similarities, this feels a little different. It isn't that I feel lighter, per se, but that I feel less... solid, if you understand me."

"I don't."

L nodded, expecting as much. "Well, if what I think is true, and if some of what I read pans out, then what you were experiencing there was something akin to drawing out latent potential from your soul."

Ichigo looked at L, dumbfounded. He didn't completely get what that meant, but it held a ring of truth to it when he thought back to how it felt. L continued speaking, so Ichigo ended his brief reflection on the matter.

"From what I understand, there's a sect of monks high in the mountains to the south of our village that train themselves to do just that. However, according to the text I read, the physical body ultimately gets in the way from truly accomplishing the task. If that's the case, then perhaps out of the body we may be able to really do so. Perhaps even on an unconscious level, based on your experience."

Ichigo nodded. Truth be told, he had stopped listening halfway through L's 'thinking-out-loud' monologue, but L wouldn't have cared if he knew. He was trying to figure this out for himself. This, and the nature of their current state at the moment. If they made it out of this round alive, he had several questions for Ryuk, and he _was _going to get answers.


	8. Seeking the First Checkpoint

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. I've been having technical difficulties with my Internet connection. At any rate, here are three chapters, which should get me caught up. Sorry about the delay, and the next chapter should be up in a couple of days. Hope this doesn't happen again! :3**

Seeking the First Checkpoint

Naruto and Zelda continued along their small cramped hallway. They had already passed two exits to more spacious ground, fearing the minotaur they had not been able to fend off. It had left them because it couldn't get to them, but it was undoubtedly waiting for the next chance to strike.

The ball of Naruto's foot remained wrapped tightly in Zelda's makeshift bandage, and though much of the pain had already subsided, it was enough to slow them down. Though he did rather well in hiding it, it remained obvious to Zelda that it was still hurting. She said nothing, however, and merely slowed her pace when he started to have trouble keeping up. It was a slow process, but it wouldn't have mattered if they were running like the wind together: they still had no idea where the checkpoint was, and they were doubtful they could retrace their steps back to the beginning even under the best of conditions, but with a minotaur out for blood on their trail...

Turning the next corner, Zelda let out a small gasp. Naruto, mistaking the meaning behind it, drew his sword and started to try and get in front of Zelda. When he saw that it was merely a dead end, he sighed. "This is a maze. Of course there'd be dead ends," Naruto mumbled before sitting down.

"Yeah," Zelda agreed, somewhat frightfully. When Naruto looked up at her in concern, she added, "but this dead end means we'll have to leave this narrow hallway to continue, which means..."

Naruto nodded in understanding. Nothing more needed to be said. As Zelda took a seat by him, they both regarded each other in silence before letting their minds wonder. There were nothing but dark, unpleasant thoughts about their situation, the maze, and the minotaur they would have to somehow escape...

~.~

Ichigo and L remained in much better condition, even if they were faced with a similar problem. As they made their way forward, L said quite unexpectedly: "We won't be able to stay here forever."

"What?" Ichigo asked, somewhat taken aback. He knew they wouldn't be able to stay in this maze forever, but he knew better than to think that L would state the obvious like that.

"In this hallway, I mean. This maze is probably designed to eventually force us out into the wider hallways. We can't defeat the minotaur, but probably...," he paused for a moment, connecting a few dots and drawing some conclusions. Ichigo waited for L to finish, leading the way and avoiding turns and pathways that would lead them into more spacious surroundings. Despite what L had already said about them not being able to stay in safety forever, Ichigo didn't want to leave this narrow corridor just yet. "This is just a theory," L began again, "but perhaps this maze is designed with small hallways like this scattered throughout the maze. We're... 'encouraged' into these smaller spaces by the minotaur, but if what I believe is true, we'll be forced outside into direct confrontation again soon. Maybe we're supposed to rush through the larger, more spacious pathways in search for these scattered safe paths."

Ichigo nodded. "So long as doing that gets us to the finish," he said, which L agreed probably would so long as they were going in the right direction. That made sense to Ichigo, and as they turned a final corner and met their first dead end Ichigo began to understand somewhat. While he didn't understand as clearly as L, his gut feeling regarding the matter forced him to come to a conclusion similar to L's analytical mind, and the two turned around and went back the way they came, planning on running out into the first broad hallway they came across. Ichigo, while still somewhat tired from his last fight, could probably run for quite a while, and when a pathway opened up to their left they both took off, running before almost tripping on the stairs leading down to a floor below.

Taking the stairs carefully, the two of them walked down the hallway in search for a narrow path. Seeing as they were now on a different floor, the two felt that the minotaur would have a much more difficult time finding them again, even if L considered it an inevitable occurrence.

Rounding a corner, however, threw all level of calm out the window. There, in front of them, was a minotaur. Yet neither of them thought it was the same one as before. Even though it looked exactly the same and carried the exact same weapon, both were convinced that this was a different one. Fortune favored them at the moment, though, as it was walking away from them down the hallway. Ichigo and L, careful to be silent, turned around and slowly walked in the opposite direction. L, seeing a doorway that seemed to lead to a narrow path, tugged on Ichigo's sleeve and pointed. Ichigo nodded, and the two very very quietly made their way to that door.

Walking in, the two breathed a sight of relief. After a moment of hesitation, L decided to take a left, and the two took that path, unknowingly putting distance between themselves and the other pair of this game, who were, at the moment, sitting at the end of the path that the other direction would have put them on.

~.~

Auron smirked. This had to be it. The checkpoint. It was a solid stone door with five faces on it. The faces, while somewhat crude representations, were undeniably the group. They were all in the straight line, with Ichigo's being in the middle. In front of that door were five raised circular platforms. When he stood in one, it glowed white. It wasn't that bright, but it was enough to let him know that this was the key to opening the door. _At the very least we don't have to find a key as well as this door_, he thought, breathing a sigh of relief. Things could always be worse. Always.

However, he was faced with quite a task. Knowing where the checkpoint was now was undeniably a major bit of progress, but now he had to somehow go out there and find the other four and get them back here without losing his sense of direction. Even though he had gone up and down several bits of stairs before finally stumbling across it and had engaged and battle during the course of that time, he still had a pretty good idea of the path he took.

He had a sense of how large this part of the maze was, though. This would be difficult, if not impossible. Not only that, but there were still two more portions to conquer. If every round was as long as this one was shaping up to be, they would be in this game for a very, very long time. He had already lost track of how long they had been here, but it was at least a day.

At least...

When his mind once again turned to how to find his comrades, the four other pillars began to glow in various colors. When they did, a red ribbon-like thing appeared above them, and, stretching down through the really narrow hallway that preceded this door, made a left turn. It never disappeared – it just seemed to keep adding more to itself; a constant path to follow. Without knowing why, he was certain that each one of these things lead to one of his friends.

"That's a start, at least," he mumbled to himself before following them. He wasn't certain which red 'ribbon' he would follow when they eventually split off, but so long as they stayed he could find his way back after locating all four of them. Even as he thought that, however, he turned around and, as he expected, the ribbon had begun to vanish behind him. He would have to keep track of the twists and turns. Nodding in understanding, he took off running again.

~.~

Naruto stood up, testing his injured foot before taking a few steps. It didn't really hurt anymore, but all the same he would still try to take it easy. Zelda, for her part, was already up and pacing, nervous energy making it hard to keep still.

"I think I'm ready to go," Naruto said, and together the two of them retraced their steps back to the first doorway leading to more spacious hallways, and then walked out. Zelda was about to run, but Naruto grabbed her wrist. "There's no point in running. Making all that extra noise will make it easier for him to find us."

Zelda nodded, somewhat surprised by Naruto's sense there. They continued along for quite some time, most of which was spent in silence. They slowed down when they heard the footfalls of someone who obviously wasn't a minotaur. Rounding a corner, they came face to face with Auron.


	9. Crossing the Threshold

Crossing the Threshold

The journey back to the first checkpoint was uneventful. Auron remembered the way perfectly, and in less than ten minutes the three of them were looking at the door.

"WE DID IT! WE'RE HERE!" Naruto was leaping around for joy, making more noise than was necessary. Neither Zelda nor Auron minded much, though – this was a cause for celebration. They had been in this part of the maze for far too long, and while there were still two more sections left to navigate, this was quite a milestone. There was one more loose end to tie up, though.

"You two stay here," Auron said. "I'm going to get Ichigo and L."

"How do you know where they are?" Naruto asked.

"I don't. But I know how to find out." He stood on one of the platforms again, and then ran off in the direction the "ribbons" indicated, leaving Naruto and Zelda confused. Shrugging, they both took a seat again.

"It's a little cold in here," she muttered without realizing it.

~.~

Ichigo and L were still in that narrow hallway, trudging along. "Are you sure heard Naruto, L?"

"Positive. He sounded quite ecstatic. I believe he may have found the checkpoint."

Ichigo scratched his head, a very disbelieving look on his face. How could Naruto of all people find it? Maybe it was thanks to Zelda. That made the most sense to him, or...

"Do you hear that?" L asked.

"Yeah..." Footsteps. Human footsteps. One of their party was coming this way. Or, at least, they hoped that was the case. Assuming they were the only humans here seemed like a no-brainer, but you never really knew...

Auron dashed around a corner. "Auron!" Ichigo shouted, running up to him, L right behind him. Auron, however, wasn't nearly as happy to see him, and, when he was within reach, Auron punched him in the face, which sent him flying back the way he came. L kind of gaped a bit, before asking what that was for. A crash was heard from somewhere down the hallway, beyond sight in the dim surroundings.

"He was yelling like an idiot. There are at least two minotaur nearby, and now they know exactly where we are."

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!?" echoed down the hallway, following shortly by the sound of a sword being drawn and rapid footsteps approaching. Auron pulled out his own blade, and the two largest swords present in the maze met. "I'm gonna kick your ass, old man!"

"Keep yelling, Ichigo. Let everyone know where we are," the old man replied calmly.

"Wh-!?" Ichigo flushed. "Well you could have just told me to shut up instead of...!"

"There are a least two nearby, Ichigo. Calm yourself."

"Right," he muttered in response before the three of them faced the way they needed to go.

"I've come to the conclusion that there are at least three in this part of the maze," Auron stated calmly, not noticing that Ichigo visibly paled. L nodded. His expression held that of surprise and fear, but he didn't pale like Ichigo did. It may not have been possible for him to be more pale than he already was.

"Since they already know where we are now -" Ichigo ignored Auron's glare "- we may have to fight our way through."

"They're pretty tough," Ichigo responded. Auron merely nodded in reply, then set out for the end of the corridor that would lead to more spacious ground.

"The checkpoint is this way," Auron said. "Naruto and Zelda are already there waiting for us. It isn't that far now. We just have to try and make a run for it."

With that the three of them did just that, Ichigo and L following Auron as he made his turns and ran up those stairs, trying to get to the tiny hallway that lead to the checkpoint... and their comrades.

However, it was not to be. They could hear the minotaur behind them now, giving chase, and at the worst moment L tripped on the last step of those stairs. Auron immediately stopped and turned around, running back to pick up L. However, he wasn't fast enough, and instead had to block the massive swing of one of the minotaur. L managed to get up quickly and make a run for it.

"You two run for the checkpoint! I'll hold them off long enough for you to get there!"

"Like hell!" Ichigo shouted back, running to help him. Just then the second minotaur appeared at the stairs beside its comrade, ready to cut Auron in two. Ichigo managed to block it just in time, but they wouldn't be able to hold them for long.

Both Auron and Ichigo looked at each other, and, with Auron nodding once, they both jumped back to create space between them and their opponents. It was two on two, large swords against gigantic axes and horns. "How far away is that checkpoint," Ichigo asked.

Auron shook his head. "Too far. They'd overtake us bef-" Auron was cut off by a minotaur's attack, and the other was right behind it attacking Ichigo.

Ichigo, for his part, managed to block the axe swing. The minotaur used that opening to try and get him with a horn, but Ichigo managed to push the enemy's axe up with his sword, causing the minotaur to essentially block its own attack. Grunting, it broke off the engagement, backing up a few steps before charging in at ramming speed. Ichigo, knowing he couldn't block _that_, managed to dodged off to the side.

The minotaur slid to a stop while turning around, and Ichigo then realized that it was now between him and the checkpoint. "You bastard," he muttered under his breath, before charging in himself swinging his massive blade. The mintoaur blocked it with ease, of course, but Ichigo then brought his foot around for a kick. The kick was blocked by the minotaur's hand, before it grabbed Ichigo foot and, turning, through Ichigo down the hallway. Ichigo yelled, flying past a running L and the little archway where Naruto and Zelda were sitting landing some feet away.

Naruto and Zelda just looked at each other. "Was that Ichigo?" Naruto asked.

"I... think so," Zelda said, getting up and running in the direction she saw him fly. Naruto was right behind her, albeit slower since his foot was still bothering him. However, when he footsteps he turned around to see L... and the minotaur catching up with him.

"L!" Naruto shouted, forgetting all about Ichigo and running to save his friend. He managed to do so, blocking that axe and grunting when the full force of his enemy's strength was pushing down on him. He didn't have to block for long, though – Ichigo was already running back to keep the fight going, and promptly used the opening Naruto gave him to dig his blade deep into the minotaur's arm, which caused it to howl fiercly, backing away but not letting go of its weapon.

"You ok, Naruto?" Ichigo asked.

"Of course," he responded with a foxy grin. The minotaur looked on and, with another howl, charged at them with full fury.

~.~

So far, Auron and his minotaur were on equal footing. Although neither had yet to take a serious blow, each had failed to block a single attack. Auron had a cut running across his cheek, ending just below the ear, while the minotaur had a line of red along its arm. This battle was just beginning, however.

A swing, a block, a counterattack. Dodge. Already, the steps and rhythm of this bloody dance had established themselves. Auron moved with the grace of an experienced fighter, with every step having a purpose and every movement designed to land him the kill.

The minotaur swing its axe to the side, forcing Auron to block. The minotaur decided to try using this opening with a might smack of its fist from the other side, preparing to crush the pitiful human between its hand and axe. Auron, noticing the fist approaching, ducked. At the same time, he turned the sharp side of his blade so that it was facing the oncoming attack and, when the fist hit the blade, a sharp howl of pain was heard. Backing up, the minotaur looked at its hand. One of its fingers were little more than a bloody mess, but the others were fine. For now. Snorting, it returned its attention onto Auron, who was in a defensive stance, his weapon held out in front of him.

They stared at each other for a moment. Auron couldn't guess what the minotaur was trying to come up with, but prepared himself for anything, ready to react to anything the beast may try. As another minute passed, however, Auron decided to move things along at his own pace, and charged the minotaur. It seemed to be surprised by this, but managed to swing in retaliation. Auron ducked, causing the axe to fly by overhead, and dug his blade deep into the now exposed arm. He pushed it deeper for good measure, then sliced upwards. Much blood followed the blade as it exited from the arm, and Auron jumped back, wanting to see just how much damage he had done.

The minotaur dropped its axe, screaming in fury and pain and... fear. Its arm dropped limply to its side, but if those slightly wiggling fingers were anything to go by it hadn't lost complete use of its arm. That didn't matter, though, since the beast's next decision was probably the smartest thing it could do: it turned and ran. Without a second's hesitation, Auron turned around and charged toward the checkpoint, ready to help the rest of his comrades deal with the last minotaur.

~.~

Naruto flew back, having lost his grip on the sword. The minotaur, who had caught it with its hand as Naruto had attack, then tossed it behind him, and focused on Ichigo, who was currently blocking the axe. "Dammit!" Naruto shouted after getting up, ready to go and get his sword at all costs.

The minotaur would have none of that. Grabbing Ichigo with its now free hand, it tossed him in the direction of Naruto, who barely dodged before having to face the minotaur, unarmed and alone. Gulping, he shook. As the minotaur approached, he saw L and Zelda sneaking up behind it ready to stab it in the back, but his gaze gave them away, and the the minotaur turned around to deal with them. As it did so, Ichigo landed some distance away, and, getting up, charged back at them.

Auron was doing much the same, and he got there first. "Get back," he ordered the two least experienced fighters, then shouted at Naruto, "I think you dropped this!" Tossing Naruto's sword over the enemy, he watched as Naruto went to pick it up after it landed. As Ichigo came back into view, Auron charged at the minotaur, hoping to keep it occupied so Ichigo and Naruto could get it from behind. The minotaur was having of that, however, and after blocking the first of Auron's attacks it bulled ahead, forcing Auron to dodge. It then turned around, facing its three enemies.

What it did then surprised the three fighters. Whether because it just realized it was now hunting alone or simply deciding it was no match against all three of them, it turned and ran away, leaving the exhausted fighters with their goal. Breathing heavily but pleased to have made it, the three walked into the small archway guarding the door, and promptly sat down in the small room with the pedestals, looking at the door.

"Let's not open it just yet," Auron said.

Ichigo nodded. Naruto looked perplexed, though, so Ichigo explained: "The guardian or whatever it probably behind that door. We need to rest, or Zelda and L are going to have to fight it instead."

"I could take it. I'm not really that tired."

"Good for you," Ichigo said. He did not, however, budge from his spot. He looked over at Auron, and was surprised to find that he had already dozed off. _Probably a good idea_, he thought to himself, and, getting more comfortable, tried nodding off as well. Naruto, shrugging, went over and started talking to Zelda and L, boasting about his first fight with the minotaur, with Zelda correcting this and that about his narrative. So a couple of hours passed before Auron and Ichigo stirred again, rested up and ready for combat.

"Shall we?" Auron asked, stepping onto one of the small pedestals. The other four did the same, and when all of them were glowing the door slid down, revealing a tunnel. The four of them then walked forward, each prepared for whatever awaited.

Two of them were grinning.


	10. Guardian

Guardian

What greeted them was not what they expected. The tunnel gave way to a spiral set of stairs going down, which the five obligingly took, as there was no other way to go. The stairs went down and down and down, but the five of them pushed onward, alert for the guardian Ryuk said would be here.

It was a long time before the stairs finally ended. Before them was a large room, the ceiling unseen in the darkness above them, as the torches lining the wall continued to give very little light. The room itself was massive, though, and as the group continued to walk into it the true scope of it started to become clear. It was massive. "Man...," Naruto mumbled under his breath.

"So where is this guardian or whatever?" Ichigo asked, looking around.

"Dunno," Zelda responded. "We don't have to find it, do we?"

"Not likely," L responded. "There's a chance it may not show itself until we try opening the door on the other side."

With that, they started walking across the great expanse. As they did so, a bright light started shining from overhead. Looking up, they saw a giant crystal. It was blue and steadily glowing brighter, casting the entire room in an eerie light. As the light brightened, the Ogre finally came into view.

At least, that's immediately what Auron thought of it as. It was a massive brute with bulging muscles, covered by grayish-blue skin. Auron's full height barely reached its stomach. Already, he was formulating a strategy regarding how they were going to fight this over sized monstrosity, but this wasn't going to be easy. Not at all

When the crystal overhead finally reached its maximum brightness, the layout of the room was very easy to see. It was, in essence, a very, very large circle, with the stairs they had come down spitting them out in the middle, and the door in front of them. The stairs served as one of five pillars, with the other four set equal distances from each other in four directions. Everything appeared to be made of stone, but the exact color was hard to guess thanks to the blue light. It was a bright color whatever it was, and a couple of the members of this party thought the stone may actually be white.

Such details were unimportant to them now, though. They were all looking at the ogre. Its bald head and stupid face weren't much to look at. Its nose was practically nonexistent, and it had small, black eyes. L and Zelda promptly backed up a bit to put the other three between them and the monstrous enemy before them.

It's only weapon appeared to be a giant wooden club, but that wouldn't count the massive hand holding it, or the massive fist it was forming with the other. _Hell, every part of that thing's body could be used as a weapon, I'd guess,_ Auron thought to himself.

"Alright, guys," Auron said to Ichigo and Naruto. "We've got plenty of room to fight and no corners to get backed into, so no matter what don't panic. We're going to beat this thing. We just have to do it together."

"Anything in particular you want us to do?" Ichigo asked, ready to follow the more seasoned warrior's lead for now. Bold and reckless though he may be, he wasn't going to deny that this was quite beyond his field of experience. The minotaur probably wouldn't begin to compare to this guy.

Naruto gulped audibly, then, without warning whatsoever, charged forward for an attack. Yelling at the top of his lungs, he didn't bother with stealth or surprised, and the ogre saw him coming a mile away. It grinned, showing large yellowing teeth, and charged forward as well, its stubby legs not carrying it as fast as the party thought they would.

"So he's slow," Auron muttered to himself. L had muttered something similar under his own breath as well. Shrugging, Auron and Ichigo followed after Naruto, though Auron pointed for Ichigo to run off to the right a bit to try and surround it a bit, as Auron was already heading a bit to the left of their target. No sense in all three of them charing head on like idiots.

Being the first there, Naruto jumped high in the air, his sword pointed at the orgre's head. The orgre, slowing down, swung its club, hitting Naruto and causing him to fly off far to the left. "NARUTO!!!" Ichigo shouted.

"Let him be. He shouldn't die from just that!" Auron cried. Using the follow through of that swing as an opening, Auron prepared to dig his blade deep into the enemy. However, when his stab finally connected it didn't go that deep at all. "His skin is this hard?" Auron asked in shock, before pulling his blade out and backing a few quick steps back.

Ichigo, not understanding Auron's reason for backing away, repeated that process when the ogre turned to look at the older fighter. Finding the same problem the older fighter experienced, he too backed away, keeping a measure of distance between himself and his enemy and trying to come up with something else.

Cursing under his breath, Auron watched as the ogre turned his attention yet again. Ichigo was now its center of focus, and, as it charged forward swinging its tree-sized club, Ichigo chose to try and block instead of dodge. It worked to a degree: he wasn't sent flying like Naruto, but he had another problem.

His sword was now stuck in the wood. Refusing to let go, Ichigo was lifted along with the club, and the ogre's face showed confusion for a moment before a vicious smirk formed on its face. Shaking the club, the monster watched in amusement as Ichigo's body was thrown this way and that as he desperately held on to the hilt of his blade.

Auron watched as Ichigo was slung around like a rag doll before deciding to use his enemy's distraction to his advantage. Rushing in, he silently leaped in the air aiming to strike at its head. However, at the last second something hit him on his side and sent him flying.

L was shocked. Not only were they having to deal with a giant ogre, but apparently a small, winged imp as well. Where had it been hiding this whole time, and why was it just now appearing? More importantly, were there any other beings they would have to fight before moving on to the second part of the maze? As he was asking himself these questions, Naruto ran up from behind him, sword held high as he rushed toward the ogre. _Some never learn_, he thought to himself. Looking around, he suddenly noticed that Zelda was missing.

Ichigo's sword finally got loose of the wood. Unfortunately for him, it did so during the course of one of the ogre's more wild swings, and he ended up flying. The imp watched the boy fly, then the two of them turned their attention to a wildly charging Naruto.

The ogre charged forward again, club raised, ready to swing down and crush the insignificant creature that would dare challenge it a second time. It was then that Zelda struck, rushing up silently and stabbing the ogre on the side, just above the hip. The skin was apparently softer here, and she was able to get her blade deep, causing the ogre to bleed for the first time. The imp, flapping its wings wildly, closed in. It had a small knife, ready to put an end to things. Unlike the ogre, the imp appeared rather intelligent, and Zelda knew with a certainty she could not explain that it knew the rules they were operating under. One dead would mean all dead.

She was saved by Ichigo in the most surprising of ways. Rushing back into battle and seeing Zelda in danger, he picked up his pace but quickly realized that there was no way he would make it in time. That desire to save her mixed with frustration about his distance caused a strange reaction in him, and there was a build-up of... something within him. He couldn't have described it if he had tried, but as it built-up it became uncomfortable, and he instinctually knew that he could get rid of it through his sword. Suddenly swinging it, blue energy flew forth from the blade, and the wave grew larger and, when it reached the imp, promptly cut it in half.

Ichigo suddenly felt drained – he had no energy left, and, falling to the ground, he knew no more for a time.


	11. Untapped Potential

Untapped Potential

Everyone kind of gaped for a moment at what just happened, Zelda most of all. The imp lay on the floor, split in two, oozing green blood. Ichigo's wave dispersed seconds after its deadly blow, leaving nothing. L's eyes went to the source, seeing an unconscious Ichigo. Auron was already rushing to his side, seeing if he was still alive. L's mind went back to what he had said earlier to Ichigo: _"...what you were experiencing there was something akin to drawing out latent potential from your soul."_ His mind reeled for a moment at the possibilities, wondering if they were all capable of what Ichigo just did. Wondering if Ichigo had almost done so earlier against the minotaur.

Such thoughts would have to wait, though. Based on Auron's reaction, Ichigo was indeed still alive, and both he and Zelda were picking him up and heading for L. Naruto continued to distract to beast, though that may not have been his strategic purpose for protecting Ichigo at the present time. Whatever it was, the other three were thankful for his presence, and hoped he wouldn't get himself killed.

"You two stay with him," Auron ordered. "While the ogre will be busy with Naruto and I, there may be something else in hiding waiting to strike." The two nodded, and Auron rushed over to help Naruto.

Zelda looked at Ichigo, then at L. "What was that?" she asked in wonder.

L shook his head. "I don't know, but I have a guess."

"What?"

"He drew power from the very recesses of his soul," he said simply. Zelda looked a bit confused, and, saying he would explain it later, turned his attention to Naruto and Auron, and their desperate struggle against the ogre.

"Naruto, we're running for now!"

"Why!?"

"To form a strategy! We can't beat this thing through strength alone!"

Grunting in frustration, Naruto turned and followed Auron, ears ready.

"Zelda managed to get that thing to bleed by stabbing it in the side, meaning that not all of its skin is hard as rock. One of us is going to have to create an opening for the other."

Naruto nodded. That seemed simple enough. "Who's going to do that?"

"I am. You try and stab it in the same place Zelda did. When I stop to turn around, you keep running then swing around from the side. Got it?"

Naruto nodded and, when Auron did stop and turn around, he started to turn, running off to the side while watching Auron. He wasn't good at the whole opportunistic thing, but he hoped he would be able to spot the opening Auron was going to try and create and make good use of it.

The ogre had been chasing them the whole time, but it slowed once Auron started charging back at it. While it managed to remember Naruto for a moment, the energetic blond was soon forgotten as the warrior with the larger sword became the center of its attention. Rushing forward, Auron attacked with full fury, swinging with all his might before ducking to ready another swing, the ogre's retaliations flying by harmlessly overhead. Auron's next swing was blocked, but thanks to Ichigo's earlier deep cut, Auron was able to, with a little effort, entirely cut through the ridiculously huge club, causing half of it to fall to the ground with a loud crash.

The ogre looked at it, momentarily confused. It was in that moment that Naruto struck.

~.~

Ichigo opened his eyes. For a moment he was disoriented, not recognizing anything he saw. Then, slowly, everything came into focus, and he was even more confused than he was before. Raising himself to a sitting position and looking around, he found that he both did and didn't recognize everything around him. "Skyscrapers..." he mumbled to himself, wondering how he knew, since he had never seen anything like them before. Getting up, he suddenly realized that he was standing on the side of one, and looking around he saw the ground in one direction, and the blue sky in the other.

Seeing as he was standing there just fine, he let that moment of panic pass before he began to walk around. "Anyone here!?" he shouted now and again, becoming increasingly frustrated. It was then that he saw his sword laying on the building over there. "What the...?" Reaching back, he found his back not loaded with the sword in question, and, rushing over to the edge of the skyscraper he was on, he decided that the distance wasn't too great. The skyscrapers were standing right next to each other – surely he could make the jump.

Walking back what he judged to be enough distance, he then ran forward and, at the last second, jumped. He sailed "over" the gap between skyscrapers, barely catching the edge of the next one, hanging on for dear life before pulling himself up. Breathing labored for a moment, he then got up and grabbed his sword.

"Ichigo..." The boy in question turned this way and that. The voice sounded like it was far away, and he couldn't quite figure out which direction it was coming from.

"Ichigo..." It was closer this time, and when he turned around, he saw a figure standing at the edge of the skyscraper he had just jumped from. It was walking toward him, over the gap as if it was solid ground, before stopping right in front of him.

"Who are you?" Ichigo asked.

The man said nothing in reply. He was much older than Ichigo, looking to be about Auron's age, or maybe a little younger. He wore a black overcoat, which flared out at the bottom to ragged ends, with a bit of white appearing around his wrists. His collar was also white. Black boots and narrow sunglasses completed his outfit, and long unruly hair completed his look.

"Who are you?" Ichigo asked again, a little annoyed that his question was annoyed the first time.

"One who was awakened by a strong desire to fight," the man answered. He extended his right hand to his side, and a replica of Ichigo's sword appeared in his hand.

Ichigo, assuming the old man meant he wanted to fight him, backed up a bit, pointing his sword at the enemy. "I'd rather not fight an old geezer," he said.

The man laughed, before planting his sword down in the skyscraper. There he held it. "Why do you wish to fight?" he asked Ichigo.

Ichigo was taken aback by the sudden question, but before he had a chance to answer the old man asked another question. "Who do you wish to protect?"

Ichigo immediately thought of the four who had come with him. Though Auron wasn't one to really need protecting, he thought of them all. "I see," the old man said. "Ichigo..."

"How do you know my name?" Ichigo asked.

The old man didn't reply. He merely lifted his sword and, with no warning, lunged at Ichigo.

~.~

Naruto's blade had gone deep, but not as deep as it could have. He had missed his mark, stabbing a little above the wound Zelda had first given it. The ogre, however, was still immensely angry, backhanding Naruto with a force that sent him flying... again. Auron backed away, cursing under his breath, before turning around and running, putting distance between himself and the ogre. The ogre chased after him, being lead away from both Naruto and the unconscious Ichigo. L and Zelda stood watch over him, but L was more focused on the battle than actually guarding the unconscious boy. He considered it unlikely that there was another imp or anything else, and that the ogre was the only thing they had to defeat.

After running what he judged to be enough distance, Auron turned around and faced the ogre. At the very least, the ogre didn't have a club anymore, and while those fists were as hard as stone Auron was sure he could handle things from here. He assumed the worst case scenario regarding Naruto: that he had been knocked out by that last blow. He was sure he wasn't dead, though. Naruto was a tough kid.

The ogre finally caught up with him, and proceeded to try and punch him. Auron easily dodged or blocked all the attacks, noting that his sword didn't seem to phase the giant before him any. After a few more dodges, Auron attacked, getting a shallow cut across the stomach. He drew blood, which confirmed what Auron had suspected: its stomach was the weak point. The ogre was furious, but Auron didn't let fear slow his blade, and promptly blocked the ogre's massive slap. Auron slid across the floor and his hand was jarred a bit, but otherwise he was unaffected and began the process again: dodging and blocking before getting another cut in. It was parallel the one he just gave it, and Auron hoped to get a third cut between the two. Then he would be ready to deal massive damage.

He wouldn't need to worry about that, however. Naruto had managed to sneak back up and, with determination burning in his eyes, stabbed the ogre in the same place a second time. He was able to bury his sword to the hilt, and proceeded to move it around, no doubt cutting up its insides quite severely. The ogre screamed in pain.

Pulling it out, he jumped back a distance and looked at Auron. "How was that!?"

Auron merely grunted in return, though the light smile on his face was all the praise Naruto needed. The energetic blond knew that was all he was ever likely to get from the seasoned fighter.

The ogre backed away, clutching its stomach in obvious agony. Auron walked up to it, ready to deliver the final blow.

~.~

Ichigo barely managed to dodge that attack. The old man immediately prepared for the next one, which Ichigo managed to block. The old man then jumped back, and tossed his sword aside, which vanished.

"You're quite promising," he said. "When next we meet, you should be ready to hear my name, Ichigo..."

Wait, who are you!? Hey!" It was useless. The old man had vanished as well, and as Ichigo was wondering what was gonna happen next, he suddenly felt lightheaded and, after a few seconds, fell over, falling unconscious yet again... only to open his eyes back to the real world. Groaning, he sat up, only to realize that Zelda and L were right next to him.

"Are you alright?" Zelda asked, crouching down next to him.

"I think so. Just... tired," he answered. L and Zelda both nodded. "What'd I miss?" He decided that, for now, he wouldn't tell any of them about what he had just seen.

"I think Auron is about to deliver the final blow," L responded. Ichigo nodded, turning to watch as Auron rushed up and stabbed the beast through the head. The ogre's back was facing them, so they didn't see the actual stab, but the way it's body spasmed before falling over and lying completely still told them all they needed to know. Naruto started jumping around celebrating their victory, while Auron merely stared down at his fallen foe for a moment before looking up and seeing Ichigo.

Ichigo gave a weak wave, and as Auron and Naruto approached the blue crystal above began to dim, signaling the end of the battle. As it did so, the door leading to the second part of the maze began to open, revealing a passageway. One thing that they immediately noticed, though, was the presence of daylight. It was faint, but it was there.

"You ok, Ichigo?" Auron asked when he arrived.

"Yeah, I th--"

"Good. Then let's get moving."

Ignoring the glare, Auron turned and walked to the door, and, after helping Ichigo up, the others followed. "Shouldn't we at least rest before moving on?" Zelda asked.

"We'll rest later."

Ignoring the urge to argue, she, along with everyone else, merely followed Auron's lead in silence, preparing to navigate the second part of the maze.


End file.
